Does Your Church Match the City’s Brand?

Every city has a brand, a flavor, a vibe, a feel, mojo, moxy, swagger , or whatever you want to call it.  Obviously some cities are more prominent than others but you get the idea.  There are some cities with such global momentum that it takes little to keep the rockets lit and their “brand expansion” from rapidly moving forward.  On the other hand there are cities that are doing everything they can to be the next “it” and will underfund their schools just to get more people to love their city which means they’ll move there which at the end of the day could put more money back into the schools (or the way the theory goes).

Does your city have an identifiable brand?  If so, what is it?  The follow-up question then is whether or not your church/church plant fits into the larger brand? For example, if you’re planting in Portland, Oregon do you know the city’s brand?  Eco-friendly, sustainable, focused in distinct neighborhoods, and so on.  Does your church fit because if you’re planting in The Pearl in downtown Portland but you drive a 1990 Chevy Suburban that’s sucking gas (10 mpg) while you’re sporting a mullet and listening to Achy Breaky Heart you might not quite understand your city’s brand nor are you fitting in.

If you’re beginning the process of planting a church one of the first things you’ll be doing is exegeting your community.  As you’re in that process you’ll want to uncover not only the city’s brand but also that of the neighborhood you’re planting in. A city will have an over-arching brand (or you could call it a “story”) but each neighborhood has their own brand (or story) that fits into the overall one. If your church is about making an impact on your city then what you do needs to be a good cultural fit.  Obviously there are aspects of the church and the Gospel that will never fit because people just won’t or can’t understand the implications of a bloody cross where Jesus was murdered for our sins.

Are you a good fit for the city you’re planting in?  That’s a great question to ask yourself because you need to wrestle through it.  Is God indeed calling you there and you’re to leave your preferences behind and blend in culturally? Or has God truly made you a distinct way for a specific reason that is to be played out in a special kind of city? If you’re a hardcore conservative Republican then maybe planting in the Castro District in San Francisco may not be your cup of tea unless you adapt well to other cultures.

What’s your city’s brand and how is your church/church plant fitting in?